Sabotaging Evil - Paul Rusesabagina

If you saw the movie "Hotel Rwanda," you must read the book that's been written by Paul Rusesabagina, the Manager of the Hotel des Milles Collines. An Ordinary Man (The audio-book version of this book is excellent) is Rusesabagina's memoir about his life and his experience working as Manager of a Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda as one of the worst Massacres of all time broke out in his country. He turned the Hotel into a safe Haven and saved the lives of more than 1000 people. Around 900,000 lives were lost. People were brutally hacked to pieces by their own neighbors wielding machetes, driven by rage due to long standing racial tensions; bigotry that was fueled by hysterical, non-stop rants on one of Rwanda's Radio Stations.

Paul Rusesabagina
b. June 15, 1954 Gitarama, Rwanda

Sun in Gemini, Moon (probably) in Sagittarius

Another Gemini with Sagittarius Moon like Geronimo! Am I seeing a pattern here or what? May you never live in interesting times. But, if you do, may you be the Gemini with the Sagittarius Moon. Rusesabagina tells a story about how his Father chose his last name (Rwandan custom) which means "Warrior that disperses the enemies." This certainly seems to be a Warrior combination of highest caliber.

Mr. Rusesabagina's story is full of both the positive and negative traits of the sign of Gemini, almost as if from straight out of an astrological fairy tale. Descriptions of the War for example (jotted down while driving as I was listening the the audiotape): Neighbor killing Neighbor with machetes held in their hands, fueled by hateful words on the radio. Gemini. Mr. Rusesabegina's own Gemini qualities of assuaging people with his own words, by calling in favors, by keeping communications open with the other side. He talks about how he kept himself sane by keeping busy. He was one of the few who continued to have a working telephone. "Words saved us." Compartmentalizing the mind. "It is difficult to fight someone with whom you are already talking." The image of the Radio telling people to kill their neighbors. He describes how he kept the enemy close, bending them by calling in favors, plying them with fine liquors and whatever else he had in the basement of his fine Hotel. He kept more than 1000 people alive in the Hotel for two and a half months while most of their friends and families were murdered out in the streets. After the Massacre, force to leave Rwanda due to death threats, Mr. R first set up his own business driving a Taxi Cab and then as owner of a trucking company. These are also Gemini traits.

Like Geronimo (see my November 28 blog), Mr. Rusesabagina is a Gemini Sun with a stellium in Cancer opposing planets in Capricorn. His Mars, however, is in the opposite sign of Capricorn where it is exalted, an easier placement than Geronimo's Mars in Cancer. He has Jupiter in Cancer opposite Mars in Capricorn which could indicate an almost athletic ability to take on opposition. What seems most important, he has a a conjunction of Mercury-Uranus-Venus in Cancer. Caring, Quick-thinking, Diplomatic, and a Memory like an Elephant. This is opposite Chiron in Capricorn and squaring Neptune in Libra. During the Massacre both Uranus and Neptune were in conjunction on his Chiron. He was going through both his Neptune square and his Pluto square (everyone his age would have been, this is often just seen as one of the indicators of Middle Age).

Also, Pluto was conjunct the North Node in its own sign of Scorpio. And the Solar Eclipse in Taurus on May 10, 1994 happened on this Nodal-Pluto pole. Pluto and Neptune transits at the same are definitely not my favorite. If you're looking for a chance to Sabotage Evil at this time you will certainly have an opportunity as it will present itself bat wings, green scales, flaming breath and all. For some it will only be a spiritual/psychological crisis, for others, as in Rwanda's case, it will strike at all levels, spiritual, emotional, physical. But, Mr. Rusesabagina has these two planets aspecting each other and the Sun in a minor triangle in his birth chart, an easy aspect showing talents for blending their energies, so he, if anyone, is able to see the spiritual side of the experience. He was able to use the deceptive abilities of Neptune and the power control side of Pluto to steer his Hotel of refugees through the ideal. No one in his Hotel was killed. They came very very close, but they were spared. I've found personally that often that when these planets act together that one does not receive help from others. The rest of the world was completely oblivious to what was going on. Throughout the book, Mr.R mentions that he kept working, kept himself busy in the affairs at hand (natal Gemini Sun with Neptune-Uranus in Capricorn transit).

Another positive transit for Mr. R was that he was going through a Saturn trine. Transiting Saturn trined his natal Saturn in Scorpio. But, also due to Retrogrades, Jupiter was trining his natal Jupiter and for part of the time conjunct his natal Saturn. So, he had a very solid business oriented Saturn-Jupiter Grand Water Trine playing off his natal planets. Perhaps this is why he was able to keep his emotions so much in check. This was emphasized even more by His Progressed Sun which was opposing t. Saturn and creating a Kite. Progressed Sun at Age 40 is creating a Novile aspect to one's natal Sun. I will talk about in the Solar Arc paragrah. Without the Pluto-Node-Eclipse influence, this looks like a very positive time for Mr. R in his career. (cough)

I'll try to quickly add that Cancer rules Hotels so it fits that Mr. R (sorry I'm shortening his name due to inevitable typos) would work in Hotels. He kept records of all the customers' tastes and so was able to cater to the enemy commanders needs in effective bartering. This ability literally saved all the occupants' lives. Like Geronimo, he has a Mercury-Neptune aspect, evidentally very convenient for eluding enemies, a great gift for using words to slide on by unnoticed. The Cancer planets also show a deep love, loyalty and patriotism for his homeland. They also show his family's roots in farming. His South Node is also in Cancer conjunct Mercury, his North Node is in Capricorn. Communications between his family/homeland and those in authority. He describes himself as the "Middleman" (Mercury) between the refugees and the killers. But, also, South Node in Cancer shows what he must move away from in his life, loss of his homeland, he and his family couldn't remain in Rwanda due to death threats after the War.

The Massacre began on April 6, 1994 when Rwanda's President's airplane was shot down. The killing ended by June and the occupants of the Milles Collines and Diplomate were removed in the middle of June. Mr. Rusesabagina would spent his 40th Birthday as a refugee. He and his family were relocated. They lived in a stranger's house with no knowledge of whether that person was alive or dead. 900,000 dead bodies were literally lying all over the country, otherwise the entire country was silent. In July, he returned to the Hotel in order to fix it up and begin receiving all the Politicians and Journalists who had done nothing for the country during the massacre.

I would like to look at a few different astrological events to see if they are relevant. First, I would like to look at transits, progressions and especially Solar Arcs for Mr. Rusesabagina's chart. The 40th Birthday is significant in most people's lives. In Astrology the Natal Chart is receiving Novile aspects by Solar Arc at age 40. A Novile is a 1/3 of a trine aspect, it combines in a harmonic way incompatible signs. An excellent description of Novile Aspects is available at http://astrologynotes.org/Novile. Here's a quote from this site: "When activated, the novile indicates spiritual growth though social responsibility." The progressed Sun was in Virgo opposite transiting Saturn so creating a Kite shape to the Jupiter and Saturn trines that were taking place in the transits. Mr. R's chart is pretty close to a bowl shape bounded by Sun and Mars on either end. During his life his Progressed Sun has been slowly passing over his planets, probably activating and lighting up each one as it passes.

Secondly, I would like to look at the Eclipses around this time. There's an extensive discussion on the effect of the eclipses as they influence the country of Rwanda at this link: http://www.clairechandler.com/articles/2006/eclipses.php.

#1: Total Lunar Eclipse before the Massacre
Nov. 29, 1993 Full Moon Sun at 7 Sagittarius and Moon at 7 Gemini c.Nodes; Virgo Rising
5 planets in the 3d House with Scorpio on the cusp: Power of the Radio to turn neighbor against neighbor.
NN at 4 Sagittarius c. Sun-Mars
Exact conjunction of Venus-Pluto in Scorpio (square Saturn) and exact conjunction of Uranus-Neptune in Capricorn in H4.
Ruler ASC square Ruler DESC

#2: Annular Solar Eclipse During Massacre
May 10, 1994 New Moon at 20 Taurus opposite Pluto and c. Nodes (NN in Scorpio); Mercury at 2 Gemini c. SN and opposite Pluto. This is all squaring Mr. R's n.Pluto (a generational planet shared by many people born in his same year so I 'm not sure why he would have been singled out)
Libra Rising; Ruler Venus is at 18 Gemini and most elevated planet in the Chart. This Venus is c. Mr. R's Sun at 24 Gemini which may explain his incredible role as Diplomat (even the name of one of the Hotels).
Ruler of ASC sextile ruler of DESC.

#3 Partial Lunar Eclipse toward the end of the Bloodshed
May 25, 1994
Sun in H3 at 4 Gemini opposite Moon in H9 in Sagittarius
This Full Moon opposition is widely conjunct the Pluto-Node conjunction in Scorpio
Grand Water Trine between Saturn-Jupiter-Venus
Ruler of Aquarius ASC is trine Ruler of Desc. Leo.

#4 Total Solar Eclipse after Massacre
Nov. 3, 1994
New Moon in Scorpio c. North Node.
4 Planets in H8
Jupiter-Pluto conjunction in H9 (Here come the Journalists and International Aid)
Saturn in H1 and Uranus-Neptune in H12 - Sorrow and Loss.

As for the Third item, the Solar Return on his birthday, this isn't possible to see without a birth time. But, he was having a Venus Return and Mercury was retrograde and very close to being in a Return at this time. I wonder if this doesn't indicate having to start over again, especially as they are both in the sign of Cancer relating to birth.